Month: November 2016

Before attending the Yoga Teacher Training (YTT), I thought well, yoga is just yoga, physical exercise, people doing crazy stunts. What I never thought after the teacher training was I gained so much deeper understandings of the world we living in. The world that I suddenly grew to be even more curious about, the world that is full of magic and unicorns.

If we take notice, yoga didn’t start out as physical form of exercise (from picture attached). It was merely known as what we recognized today as philosophy, spiritual teachings, moral values, or science of this world’s existence. The yoga that most of us thought of nowadays are those physical movements that is known as Asanas or Hatha Yoga. There are many different styles of yoga practice in this modern era: diverse methodologies and distinct lineages. There is no one specific single yoga philosophy, no one methodology but there is similarity that connects all approaches to yoga, and it is this deeply over interconnectedness-the matrix within the pattern of what we call yoga.

Basically all we need to know in summary about yoga is: Yoga Citta Vitti Nirodah. This translates to “The Restraint of the Modifications/Fluctuations of the Mind.” The basic essence of yoga is about integration of the physical (body), astral (emotion) and causal (mind). Of which we always hear about yoga isn’t it?

So what is the first thing comes to mind about yoga to most people?

1.) Way of Life.

2) Stillness/silence.

3) Healthy mind & body.

4) Balance.

5) Opening your heart.

6) Connecting with yourself.

Are these yoga? I can only say that these are incidental benefits of yoga. Yoga is a realization of our own true divine nature. Yoga teaches us a set of principles of practices to apply to everything in life. And with all the yogic teachings, we should realize that we are never the victim of circumstances, we’re always the master of circumstances. However, we can only achieve this when the pond of our mind is still. In short, YOGA is about transcending the MIND. It is the art of living.

Most people asked how and why I chose to embark on sharing so much about yoga. Well this article basically summarizes what I would have to say about it.